milk

Milk and other dairy products are a good source of nutrition for kids and adult alike. In fact they make up a portion of our daily diet from the time we are born. However, not everybody can enjoy the goodness of such products as much as anybody else. This is due to lactose intolerance.

Lactose Intolerance is a medical condition wherein a person is unable to digest a type of sugar found in milk and other dairy products known as lactose. This is due to a deficiency in the production of an enzyme called lactase in our small intestine. This condition is primarily genetic in nature and may manifest itself at different life stages for each individual. Some pre-mature babies are born with it, while those who were born at full term may experience it at around 2 years or more. Others do not show signs until adolescence or adulthood. People who are lactose intolerant may experience discomfort, abdominal pain or bloating, gas, diarrhea, or nausea after 30 minutes or within 2 hours after ingesting milk or other milk products. The severity of pain or discomfort depends on the amount of lactose a person can tolerate.

Not to worry though, lactose intolerance is common in most adults and the most that it could do is give you a bit of a tummy ache and an awfully bad smelling poop. However, this condition limits your intake of milk and other dairy products which is a primary source of calcium and other nutrients. It may inhibit the growth of your children due to lack of proper nutrition or cause other health problems like poor bone condition or osteoporosis in later life. To ensure that this condition will not have a long term effect on our health, we can try to introduce a minimal amount of milk in our diet and gradually increase it to help patients adapt to it with fewer symptoms. We could also look for other sources of calcium and vitamins to fulfill our daily nutrition requirements.